Chuck vs The NSA
by NoOrdinaryJoe
Summary: After a 2 day marathon of Chuck while snowbound in my house, I asked myself a question...How would I end Chuck?
1. Aftermath

_Yep, you guessed it...I don't own Chuck, nor do I own Randy Newman's lyrics._

_To everyone on here who has contributed. I just found this site a couple of days ago, and you have all done an amazing job. Just the fix that this addict was looking for._

_Summary: This basically came about because I was snowbound at home for 2 days, so I decided to have a marathon of all 24 episodes of Chuck. A few too many hot buttered rums, and hot chocolates laced with irish cream and butterscotch schnaaps, and I had a question to answer...How would I end Chuck? I thought about it for a while, then decided that since I have a script project do later this quarter, why not expand the ideas...write a complete story so that I have something to use for that project. So this may not be long and detailed, but just enough to establish what I needed and broken up into segments that will later become the script for that project._

_Flame away...I can take it. And keep up the great work everyone._

* * *

**Chuck vs The NSA**

The door opened, standing there was Devon…and in true Captain fashion, he extending his arms toward her, inviting her to hug him.

"There's my other babe"

She walked into his arms, accepting his generous offer, and tried to remain composed.

_He really is awesome. Ellie is going to need him to be._

Breaking the embrace, Devon placed his hands on Sarah's arms…

"I'll go get Ellie" he said quietly.

Sarah didn't wait for Ellie to return, instead she slowly made her way through the apartment to Chuck's room. The door was closed and she remained outside just looking at that door.

_With everything you have done in your life…all of the situations that you have been in…you can certainly do this._

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and pushed open the door, but did not step inside. Her mind drifted off to that night when they first 'slept together'.

_There he was, grey sweats and a t-shirt, awkwardly…and rather stiffly…gyrating his hips and moving his body around in a manner that only Chuck would call dancing. It was so cute._

A faint smile appeared on her face just as it had that night. Her eyes scanned the room. Slowly, she took a step into the room…then another, and finally, another. She continued into the room, her eyes continuing to scan…inviting memories that she was not entirely sure she would welcome at the moment. Chuck's bed, the Morgan-door, and Chuck's desk…a desk that appeared less like the workspace of a computer nerd and more like a personal art gallery. She let her eyes browse the photographs…she was in each one of them. Their first picture together…the 'fake' photo of them together at Comic-Con. Chuck had fished it out of the garbage where he had deposited it after finding her bug and re-framed it. Their first 'real' picture together…taken at Halloween not long after she first reported for her assignment here. The picture they had taken together on their mission to Palm Springs. Her eyes continued along the desktop until she finally stopped at one photograph. It was a picture from Ellie's wedding day. Devon and Ellie in the center, Chuck standing at Devon's side in his tuxedo, with her standing next to Ellie in her beautiful 'burgandy organza' bridesmaid dress.

_Ellie looked so beautiful that day…and Chuck…he looked so handsome in that tux._

Sarah picked that picture up by its' frame, took a step back and sat down at the foot of the bed. Her focus locked on the photo, she let her right hand 'touch' Chuck. Her mind began to wander, and she let her thoughts drift back to that day.

Tears began to run down her cheeks as a familiar melody began to play in her mind and her memory of that day continued…the dance…and that song. It was _their_ song…a song whose lyrics she imagined was her speaking to Chuck...telling him just how she 'really' felt about their relationship...those same lyrics could have just as easily been him speaking to her. Speaking words that had been muted for so long…muted by circumstance and choice. A choice made be each of them with the hope of protecting the other. Sure, there had been slips…there were bound to be because sometimes a look just couldn't say enough. But that night, through that song, a look said everything. Sarah closed her eyes and returned to the dance floor that night…

_The dance…one in which Chuck's eyes never left her eyes…or her eyes his. The dance floor was dark, the only light a spotlight shining on Devon and Ellie. Chuck reached out his hand for hers but did not utter a word as the melody began to play…the ambient light casting an incredibly romantic feel over the room…she could have sworn she was in a fairy tale. Gently taking his hand, she bowed her head as Chuck led her on to the dance floor._

'_Something in your eyes makes me want to lose myself,_  
_Makes me want to lose myself in your arms.  
__There's something in your voice makes my heart beat fast,_  
_Hope this feeling lasts the rest of my life.'_

'_If you knew how lonely my life has been,_  
_And how long I've been so alone._  
_If you knew how I wanted someone to come along,_  
_And change my life the way you've done._

_Tears welled up in her eyes, but she never broke her gaze into Chuck's eyes…'I hear you. Can you hear me?' Together, they continued to glide above the floor._

_._

'_But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me_  
_And I can almost see through the dark there is light.'_

'_If you knew how much this moment means to me,_  
_And how long I've waited for your touch._  
_And if you knew how happy you are making me_  
_I never thought that I'd love anyone so much.'_  
_._  
_._

'_It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me_  
_It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.'_

So deeply engaged in her memory of that moment, even Sarah's training didn't alert her that she was being watched.

Ellie had approached the door quietly and when she saw Sarah sitting on Chuck's bed holding one of his framed photographs, she chose to remain quiet rather than interrupt whatever memories the photo held for Sarah. Her eyes shifted to Chuck's desk, and by its' absence she knew that the photo in Sarah's hands was from her wedding day. She continued to watch as Sarah never lifted her eyes from the photo…the fingers of her right hand gently placed on the likeness of Chuck.

_The poor girl, she looks so…heartbroken._

Ellie did her best to keep from crying at the scene. She mustered the happiest face should could…given the circumstances…and entered the room.

"That was Chuck's favorite picture" she said softly.

Sarah re-entered the here and now and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"You looked so beautiful that day" Sarah responded.

"Did you look at the picture? Someone else looked pretty amazing that day too." Ellie continued, "Chuck always loved your hair back like that…and that dance, he didn't stop talking about it for weeks. His face would get this amazing look on it when he talked about it. I would catch him looking at that picture and he would have that same look on his face…I could always tell when he was thinking about that dance."

"That was an amazing moment." _A truly enchanted moment. "_One that I'll probably never forget, or equal." Sarah confessed.

"I know that Chuck wasn't always the best at speaking about his feelings…especially with girls, but Sarah, I hope you know how much he loved you."

"I know" acknowledged Sarah. _I hope he knew how I 'really' felt about him._

"And you…I've always wanted to thank you."

Puzzled, Sarah probed "For what?"

"For taking the time to really get to know who Chuck was. Not a lot of girls like you would even bother to talk to a guy like Chuck, let alone date him…not unless they were being paid."

_If you only knew the truth about what brought me into his life._

Ellie continued, "I always knew that Chuck would finally meet a girl who could do that."

_Do what? Get him killed?_

"You were the best thing that ever happened to him..." Ellie started to breakdown "…and I'm sure that wherever he is, he's happy that you're safe"

That was enough, for what may have been the 87th time today for all she knew, tears began to stream from Sarah's eyes. Still holding the picture in her hand, she put her arms around Ellie and the two shared another somber hug. They held the embrace until each had assured the other they had regained the composure necessary to disengage from their hug.

Together, Sarah and Ellie rose from the bed. Ellie clutched Sarah's free hand in both of hers…Sarah was still holding the picture.

"So what's next for you?" Ellie queried

Sarah's response was more or less the truth. "I can't be here at the moment. I'm going to take a little time and get a way for a while. Then, I'll decide what I am going to do next."

"Well don't stay away too long" Ellie told her "you're always welcome here"

_Really? _Sarah pondered. Ellie noticed the look on Sarah's face and continued…

"Chuck may be gone, but you will always be part of our family"

Sarah's mouth opened slightly in shock…her reaction to the weight of Ellie's last statement.

_I enter these peoples lives based on a lie and all they do is accept me as friend and grow to love me as family. Ellie was just as amazing as her brother._

"Take all of the time you need in here, and feel free to take whatever it is you need. I know that Chuck would want you to."

Sarah responded with a heartfelt "Thank you"

With that, Ellie turned and left the room…leaving Sarah alone with her memories.

* * *

Sarah stood before the Memorial Wall at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. 89 stars expertly chiseled into the white marble. She was still angry with the Honor and Merit Awards Board…and the Director for that matter...for not supporting her nomination of Chuck for the wall. Sure, he had not actually been a part of the agency, but after all they had accomplished…after all that he had sacrificed for his country…Charles Carmichael deserved a star on that wall. For all they may have done, she couldn't imagine that the other 89 souls memorialized here had done any more than Chuck. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that someone had walked up beside her. Sarah didn't need to look to know who it was.

"He didn't ask for this…for any of this" Sarah started "He just wanted a normal life…and you were right all along…I couldn't protect him…not like this."

Casey didn't hesitate to respond to Sarah's statement. His former partner was hurting and needed his help. In spite of his lack of trust, and faith, in the CIA, he had to admit to himself that Sarah was the best partner that he had worked with. Yeah, she got distracted at times, but she was courageous, loyal and had saved his life several times during the past few years.

"Chuck's not dead because of anything that you did or didn't do Agent Walker. He's dead because of who he was. You saw him out there…He always did what he thought was right and he always put the people he loved first…regardless of the risk to himself. That's why you're still alive."

"I told him that it wasn't his job to protect me." Sarah rebutted

"When did he ever listen to us?…especially if he thought you…" Casey corrected himself, remembering that Chuck had saved his neck on more than one occasion, "…we were in trouble."

Sarah started to weep again as Casey continued, "He may not have looked like much on the outside, but underneath that thick nerdy shell was a real hero."

That made Sarah remember something that she had told Chuck. '_Some people want to be heroes and others have to be asked.' They certainly had never asked him._

Regardless of the rumors around the DOD and what the intelligence community may have thought, John Casey was not a heartless killer. He was just as much of a human being as anyone else. He recognized the turmoil that Sarah was in, so he stepped closer and put his arm around his old partner to comfort her…and he would stay there for as long as she needed.

Finally, Sarah had composed herself enough to step away from Casey. She turned to him…

"Thank you John"

"Don't mention it" Casey paused, "And when I say don't mention it, I mean don't mention it. I've got a rep to protect."

That warranted a chuckle from Sarah and she responded to him…

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me Major Casey."

"So…what's next for you?" Casey inquired

"I have a meeting with the director this morning. I'm going to request some personal time to get away for a while. I need to decide if my heart is still in this. " she answered.

"Really?…they won't be too happy at the thought of losing you" Casey noted.

"They just might have to get used to it" she concluded.

"So do you know where you are going to go?" Casey inquired…"don't worry, I won't be tailing you if that's what you are thinking" he added.

Sarah confessed her lack of a plan, "Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe I'll go back and visit Ellie and Awesome…maybe I'll head to Europe…or maybe I'll just get in my car and drive…"

"I here Bermuda is nice this time of year" Casey interrupted.

He saw the puzzled looked that came over Sarah's face.

Sarah replayed a scene in her head from the day before Chuck had died.

"_So what happens now?" She asked_

"_Honestly, I don't know…I could really use a vacation. I hear Bermuda is nice this time of year" responded Chuck._

"_I hear Bermuda is nice this time of year…"_

"_I hear Bermuda is nice this time of year…"_

By the time she snapped herself back into the real world, Casey was nowhere to be found.

_That bastard. Did he know something? Has he known something all along? Did he and Chuck plan all of this and not include me?_

_How could they do that to me?_

* * *

"…Once it is deemed safe, the operative will pass the mark into your custody. Once the mark is in your custody you will make contact with us to obtain final transport instructions. That's it." the director concluded.

Sarah was direct in her response to the Director.

"In all honesty sir, I don't think this is an assignment that I am currently capable of undertaking. After _Operation Bartowski _I was really hoping to take some time and make some decisions about my future with the agency."

"You're thinking about leaving the agency?" the director asked

"That's just it sir. I don't know right now. That's why I would just like to get away for a while. _Operation Bastowski _took quite a toll on me sir." she explained.

"Besides, there are plenty of great female agents who could handle this assignment in their sleep." Sarah added

"I know how difficult that assignment turned out to be for everybody involved…but Sarah, I wouldn't even ask you for this if I thought somebody else were capable of completing the assignment." the director persisted.

"Sir…it's just…" Sarah started before being cut-off.

"I would consider it a personal favor" the director said...making sure to emphasize personal.

_Damn him._

"…and you might just be able to accomplish your other goal as well…take a nice, relaxing vacation at the same time…courtesy of the American taxpayer." the director added

"How's that sir?" she probed.

"The exchange will be made in Bermuda. It won't happen for a couple of weeks, so you can head down early, relax on the beach, do your soul searching and then complete the exchange. When you get back, you can let me know what your decision is." he replied.

_Bermuda…so that's what Casey meant. He must have known about this._

"Sir, are John Casey and the NSA involved in this operation?" Sarah queried.

"I wouldn't know if John Casey is involved, but this is the NSA's operation" he admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just something that Casey mentioned to me earlier today. He told me that Bermuda is nice this time of year." Sarah paused briefly and continued, "Sir, if this is the NSA's operation, why is the CIA involved?"

"Call it inter-agency cooperation, call it whatever you like…the fact of the matter is that Beckman requested your participation specifically. Seems you impressed somebody over there with the work you did these past few years." _That should seal the deal._

Not impressed with his transparent tactics, Sarah relented none the less. "Alright sir, one last mission."

* * *

_Notes: I know it is a bit unorthodox, starting with the 3rd act, but that was the easiest to write...plus, I have not made any final decisions on which Act 2 or conclusion I will use. If there is enough ( or any) interest, I will update with the first 2 acts upon completion followed by a conclusion and some additional notes to tie up any loose ends._

_About the song at the dance...I really tried to keep up with the whole 80s nostalgia that the writers and producers of the show seem to love, but I just couldn't find one that worked like I wanted. I tried Bryan Adams "Please Forgive Me" but that song is too much of an epic...with the tempo becoming way to fast in the middle...and, while it might work for Chuck and Sarah, it didn't work as a wedding song. There was The Pretenders "I'll Stand By You", but for similar reasons, the song just didn't cut it. There were a few others, but none worked like 'Feels Like Home'...it's a great wedding song, and is pretty much perfect for what I imagined Chuck and Sarah wanting to say to each other._

_This chapter may change...my outline has 2 different Act IIs that I haven't decided upon, and 2 different conclusions. Depending on which way I decide to go, this act could change to accomodate those decisions._


	2. Storm Clouds

_Sorry for the long delay…major computer malfunction. I'm finally back up and running, but I can't say as much for my old hard drive. Thanks for the reviews. Because this story is about how I might end Chuck if I were to write a story for the final episode, I guess that first chapter 'Aftermath' could be like the pre-credits teaser. Now, we will go back 'to the beginning' and see just how we got there._

_Still don't own Chuck…or much of anything else…and certainly don't own a couple of nuggets that I stuck in there…one quote from a bad movie, one from a great movie, and another from what is still one of my favorite movies._

**Approximately 1 week prior the start of 'Aftermath'**

He was not looking at her, he had hardly spoken to her since they had arrived, but Sarah could not take her eyes off of him. He had wanted to come here with her tonight. He said it seemed like the appropriate place for their fake relationship to end…given that this was where it began.

The night was a little cool, the ocean breeze a little strong, but this place was still beautiful. It was their beach. A place where they had come so many times during these past few years…to picnic, to talk, to watch the sun set, or just to disappear for a while. It was one of his favorite places to go after a difficult mission, and had become one of her favorite places as well.

Knowing Chuck's affinity for this place, Sarah remembered being more than just a little upset at herself for not looking here first when he had 'disappeared' last year. Chuck had failed to appear at a post-mission debriefing following, what for him was, an emotionally catastrophic operation. He had just seen his friend, his guardian angel, gunned down in front of him. He had seen each projectile strike her torso, the force of the impacts knocking her to the ground. She eventually found him here, and though it had been hours, she had found him still crying and nearly inconsolable. Overcome with anger and guilt…blaming himself for what had happened, or worse, for what could have happened. Her body armor had done its' job that day, and with the exception of a couple of bruises and a cracked rib as reminders, she had been more or less unharmed. None of that mattered to Chuck. He had gone so far as to contact General Beckman on his own to request that Sarah be removed from the assignment. Beckman had quickly quashed the idea, explaining that their cover relationship had been going on far too long for him to be able to explain Sarah leaving and his dating a new girl within a matter of days. It had taken her weeks to reconnect with Chuck after that incident, and still longer for Chuck to be comfortable around her. She remembered how much she missed her friend during that time. That is why this all seemed so familiar to her right now.

Sarah had sensed Chuck's withdrawal over these last couple of days. He avoided as much physical contact with her as possible. He avoided the Orange Orange unless a briefing absolutely required him to be at the Castle. He didn't spontaneously stop by her hotel room. Whenever she went to see him at the BuyMore, he was always too busy to talk, or get away.

"Don't you think we should be going?" she asked, "We don't want to be late."

Sarah was relieved when he began to speak, but disappointed that he continued to focus on the ocean and not on her.

"Not yet. I'm not ready yet" he responded quietly.

She hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue.

Sarah probed, "What are you thinking about?"

"Honestly? I'm trying not to think about anything. Whenever I start to think, everything becomes real again…" he confessed before pausing to continue, "…that I've only got a few days left with my friends…with Ellie…with you. Then what, I get to look forward to fifty or sixty years of staring at the same walls."

"That's only temporary. The director said the doctor believes they can have the Intersect completely, and safely, removed within a few weeks. Then you will be free…" Sarah was cut short by Chuck.

"Stop it…" he interjected, "you don't have to say it. This isn't some mission that you have to manipulate me into going on."

"Manipulate you? Is that what you think I've been doing all these years?" her tone growing a bit more unsympathetic.

"That was your job wasn't it? To control me." Chuck countered, finally turning his head to look at her.

_Yes, that was my job, and yes, there were times when I used your feelings for me to get the job done, but you can't think that it was all about the job…can you?_

Sarah seemed at a loss for words, the hurt in her eyes was easily recognized by Chuck. She continued to look into his eyes and not speak, so Chuck continued.

"You've said it all before, many times…'you'll be free to live whatever life you choose with whomever you choose'. We both know that the person I choose is not going to leave the CIA."

Sarah was growing more and more irritated with him, and the tone of her voice grew colder.

"Don't presume to know what my plans are for the future" she said.

"Don't presume to think that I was talking about you." Chuck fired back.

It took all of her training to mask the pain those words just inflicted on her even though she _knew_ he was talking about her. _Why are you being so combative? I don't want to spend my last few days in LA fighting with you…or worse, not seeing you or speaking with you at all. _The situation was quickly spiraling into a nasty argument. An argument may be Chuck's end game, but it was not what she wanted, so it was time to try and put an end to this.

"I didn't know you felt that way about Bryce" she commented…her voice more playful, and a hint of a smile grew on her face.

That drew a faint smile from Chuck as he returned his eyes toward the ocean once again.

"Touché" he muttered in a droning tone.

A moment passed and he turned to look her in the eyes again, the smile gone and his serious expression back.

"So you're planning on leaving the CIA?" he asked her.

This time it was Sarah who broke eye contact and turned her gaze to the ocean. She was trying to buy herself time while deciding the best way to answer that question. She didn't get the chance, as Chuck broke the silence.

"Presumptuous, huh?

"Chuck…I don't want to spend these last few days fighting with you. Is that how you want this chapter to end? I want to spend as much time with you as I can, and I thought that you might want…"

_I want to spend every moment with you. The thought of not spending every last second with you is killing me…and…the thought of spending every last second with you is killing me. _Chuck thought to himself. Chuck's mind was thinking clearly, but something else was controlling Chuck these days. Sarah wouldn't be leaving, and he wouldn't be disappearing, for a couple of days, but the hurt inside of Chuck was a fully raging storm of emotions…clouding his judgment and drowning his heart. If it hadn't been so, he might have recognized and wondered what Sarah had meant by the word 'chapter'.

"Everything ends badly Sarah…otherwise it wouldn't end." he answered. _Did I just say that? Did I really just quote from a Tom Cruise movie? _Chuck asked himself.

She could hear CIA Operations Officer Sarah Walker in her head…_Don't get emotional!_

"Don't be mean. This is hard for me too." CIA Sarah didn't win.

Chuck looked at her beautiful face, saw the look in her eyes and felt the shame growing inside him. Shame for how he had treated her these past few days. Shame for how he was speaking to her right now. He chided himself. _Snap out of it. This isn't you and she certainly doesn't deserve this._

"I'm sorry…but do you know what my 'normal' life is going to be like from now on? Always having to wonder where you are…are you ok…are you hurt…?" Chuck couldn't look at her as he finished, so once again he turned his attention to the sea, "…or worse." he finished softly.

Saying it wasn't quite as cathartic as Chuck thought it would be, so he continued. Sarah continued to listen intently.

"When I think about that first night…", Chuck started again, "…everything that happened, everything that you told me, and what it was going to mean for my life…I remember thinking that was the absolute worst day of my life. Now, after all this time, after everything…I'm pretty sure that it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"How so?" Sarah wondered out loud.

Returning his gaze to her, Chuck started, "Over these past few years I've done things that I never would have done before…things that I never would have dreamed I could do. This all made me realize that I really could do anything."

Chuck paused, looking deep into Sarah's eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.

"…and then there's you…it brought me you." Chuck declared…a smile growing on his face even as his eyes began to glisten with emotion.

Sarah could hear the emotion in his voice, accompanied by the tears developing in his eyes…but she knew these were not tears of pain. She made no effort to hide how much those words had touched her and reciprocated his emotion as a tear escaped her eye.

Content to let him continue, he did.

"Whenever I got scared…whenever I thought that I wasn't going to make it, or that I couldn't do something…you were there…" Chuck let out a sigh before finishing. "…and I wasn't scared anymore. I knew that I was going to be ok and that everything would be alright."

Chuck paused to regain himself before proceeding.

"When you were reassigned temporarily…even though it was only for a short time…I wasn't sure that I could do it anymore. It just wasn't the same." he paused again.

"When I think about a week from now, or a month from now, even a year from now…who's going to be there now to let me know that I'll be ok…that everything will be alright?"

Sarah wiped a tear from her cheek before reaching to Chuck and wiping a tear from his cheek. Letting her hand linger there she presented him with the smile that he loved.

"I'll always be there Chuck." She reaffirmed him.

With a slight affirmative nod and a hint of a smile, Chuck conceded, "I think we'd better get going."

* * *

The only light in his apartment was generated by the monitor that John Casey was staring into. The monitor was currently displaying a live stream from Washington…General Beckman was seated at her desk in her office.

"It's late major" she proclaimed.

"My apologies ma'am, but I wanted to talk to you again about our _Operation Bartowski _exit strategy." John Casey stated.

"There is nothing to discuss major. We've had this conversation before…several times as I recall. You're orders have not changed. Day after tomorrow, you will terminate Charles Bartowski" she barked, her tone growing more agitated with each word.

"Permission to speak freely ma'am?" Casey inquired.

"Of course" she answered.

"I'm not sure that I will be able to carry out those orders ma'am" Casey declared.

General Beckman's eyes drew tight and Casey could see her face flushing with anger.

"You will follow your orders major, or I will relieve you and dispatch somebody who _will_ follow orders…" she snarled, pausing to let that sink in to Casey's head, "…is that clear major?"

_She's threatening your career John. Is that little dork worth it?_

"After everything that he's done for this country…he doesn't deserve this general" Casey muttered flatly.

"Deserve has nothing to do with it major!" the general snapped, "…and you know that!"

"Yes, ma'am…but what if there was another way?" he offered gingerly.

Extremely agitated by this point the general leaned into the camera, "Major Casey…"

"Just hear me out general." Casey said watching the contempt grow on the general's face. _You just cut off a general. Real smart major…or more likely Captain Casey by morning…if I'm lucky._

The tense situation was made even more so by the deafening silence that permeated Casey's apartment for what seemed liked hours to him. When he finally saw the general relax back into her chair, Casey continued.

"Ma'am…the intersect is just a computer in some room back in Washington, dependant completely upon the information that is fed into it. It takes time for field officers to gather that information, relay it to Washington, and still more time for techs to feed that information into the intersect and analyze what it all means." Casey paused for a moment before continuing.

"General, our record out here speaks for itself. Out team…" _Our team? Since when was it not my team? Damn Bartowski…_"…we have proven how valuable it can be to have the intersect deployable to the field. The success we've had was due to the fact that we've had the intersect in the field with us doing all of those things in real time. If you remember, Chuck was able to indentify La Ciudad by a scar that the intersect recognized on her neck while he was interacting with her. A computer that is locked away in Washington could not have done that ma'am. Without having the intersect in the field with us on that mission, we still wouldn't know what La Ciudad looks like and _she…_" Casey emphasized 'she' because the intelligence community had assumed La Ciudad was a man…until that night. "…would not be in custody right now."

Casey braced for what was coming as he saw the general sit up, place her arms on her desk and prepare to respond.

"I'm still listening major." She offered in a calm, curious tone.

Casey continued, "General, Chuck understands that he will be _disappearing_ in the next few days and that he will not be able to see or contact his family and friends after that happens."

"So we make Chuck disappear in a way that the world believes he is dead…just in case there are any potential threats to the intersect that are still active. Once he is 'dead', an operative would be assigned to Chuck full-time…and, when the need arises, they would deploy to the field so the intersect could do its' thing."

Casey continued

"Of course, the intersect would need updates from time to time, but we've already shown that can be successful…it's been updated several times in the field already."

"And you are prepared to be assigned to Bartowski full-time?" the general queried.

"Are you crazy?" Casey blurted out without thinking.

"Not according to my last fitness report, major. _If_, and that's a very, very big if, any plan were in place to simulate Mr. Bartowski's death, the number of people who could know about it would have to be minimized. If you're not prepared…"

Casey cut her off again,

"There is another option ma'am." he proffered.

General Beckman studied him closely for a moment before she responded. "Walker?"

"It is my opinion that Agent Walker has hopelessly compromised herself with the asset." Casey told the general, to which she questioned…

"And just how long have you had this opinion major?"

"For quite some time general." Casey admitted reluctantly.

Beckman continued her questioning, "And you waited until now to inform me of this?"

Casey thought for a second before answering. "The two of them have an understanding general…and, I told Walker that as long as it didn't affect the performance of the team, I wouldn't report her."

"And you are certain that she would agree to being assigned to Bartowski on a permanent basis?" the general questioned.

"She's in love with him general…and," Casey paused again briefly before concluding, "…it's probably the only way the director will be able to keep her in the company after this operation."

That little addition certainly got the general's attention. Sarah hadn't said anything directly to him regarding the subject, but he figured that it was a near certainty that she would leave the CIA once _Operation Bartowski_ wrapped up.

General Beckman wasn't done asking questions.

"And what about Bartowski? How do you know that he would go along with this idea?" she inquired.

"Ma'am, Chuck is a good person with unwavering loyalty to his family and friends. There is not a selfish instinct in him. He'll do it because; if he can't be a part of their lives, at least he'll know that he is doing everything he can to protect them and keep them safe…and that will be enough for him" Casey answered.

"…well, that and Walker." he added.

"Anything else major?

"No ma'am…I'll start working on some details."

"I'll admit…the idea does have its' merits, but do not get your hopes up on this major."

"No ma'am"

"I will speak with at 1300 Zulu tomorrow morning. Goodnight major"

"Goodnight ma'am"

The screen went dark. Casey opened his laptop, launched his web browser and made his way to craigslist. _I'm out of here in a couple of days…time to unload some of this crap._

The title of his listing - MOVING SALE

The body of his listing – Everything must go now. The more you buy, the more you save.

He entered no address, and no phone number, but gave himself a congratulatory smirk and grunt for being so clever. For now, he can only sit back and hope that someone will respond to his ad and help make moving easier.

Notes: _My computer problems gave me time to decide which climax and conclusion I am using. It also gave me time to re-write some things. I felt Chuck was being a bit too mean, so I removed some of the dialogue between Chuck and Sarah, and added additional dialogue between Casey and Beckman._


End file.
